Drunken driver causes fatal crash, police say

A woman who police say caused a fatal crash on the Outer Loop of the Capital Beltway the evening of July 7 remained in custody in Fairfax County on Monday, awaiting extradition to Maryland, according to Maryland state police.

Kelli Russ Loos, 33, with addresses in Bethesda and Chesapeake, Va., tested over Virginia's legal alcohol limit of .08 after the incident, according to Virginia State Police spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Virginia State Police do not release blood alcohol levels, Geller said.

The collision happened around 11 p.m. on July 7 just before the American Legion Bridge, near Clara Barton Parkway. According to Maryland State Police, Loos was driving a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee when she struck a Nissan Frontier with Springfield, Va. residents Gradys Mendoza, 39, and Franklin Manzanares, 37, inside. The Nissan, which was hit from behind, was forced over the right guard rail and tumbled down a 60-foot embankment before coming to rest on its roof, according to Maryland State police. Mendoza and Manzanares were fatally injured.

Loos then continued over the American Legion Bridge. A witness who saw the collision called police and followed Loos over the bridge, Geller said. Moments before Virginia State Police arrived on the scene, Loos drove her car off the right side of the highway and struck a barrier.

Loos was arrested by Virginia State Police and was charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving. In Maryland, Loos was charged with failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury. Maryland State Police are in discussions with the Montgomery County State's Attorney's office, and are seeking manslaughter charges, according to Maryland State Police spokeswoman Sgt. Julianne Pritchard.

In Montgomery County, Loos was cited in March for driving the Jeep with a suspended license and failing to insure it, according to court records. She failed to appear in court June 15 in relation to those charges, the records stated.